Frozen Assets
by Kara Sullivan
Summary: Jim, Blair and Simon get away for a ski trip. Things are complicated by an avalanche. Originally posted on SentinelAngst.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Frozen Assets

Summary: Jim, Blair and Simon get away for a ski trip. Things are complicated by an avalance.

Disclaimer: The Sentinel and all its characters do not belong to me.

**_A/N: Like Beneath The Surface, Frozen Assets is complete. It will probably take me a little longer to post all the chapters, though, because several of them appear to have been corrupted and will need more cleanup. I will still try to get them all up as soon as possible. And as alway, feedback/reviews welcome!_**

"Okay, Gentlemen. I think I've had enough." Simon Banks glided to a stop at the bottom of the slope, deftly twisting his skis and ending his run in a cloud of snow powder. He quickly removed his skis and turned toward the cabin at the bottom of the slope, looking at it with great longing. The little cabin was set to the side of the ski run at the very bottom of the slope. Simon thought it looked like it belonged in Switzerland or in a fancy resort, the front built into the side of the hill, while the back stood up on stilts to keep the building level. An open deck ran the entire way around the cabin, and a large stack of freshly cut firewood was piled beside the front door. At the moment, the windows were frosted over, and the smoke curling lazily from the chimney beckoned. "I'll go start the hot cocoa. Are you two coming?"

"Not yet, Simon." Jim Ellison was already on his way back up the long hill. "I'm going for one more run." He glanced back at the shorter man beside him. "What about you, Chief? Are you cold enough yet?"

Blair Sandburg rocked back on his heels, grinning. "No way, Man! Ever heard of dressing warm?" He indicated the many layers of clothing he was wrapped in. "I'm fine! I'm game for another run."

"Okay, Simon. The abominable snowman and I will be in soon. We'll be looking forward to that hot cocoa." Laughing, he smacked his partner on the back of the thick hat that almost dwarfed his head. "Come on, Big Foot, let's go."

Sandburg made a token noise of protest and then trudged behind his partner, skis over his shoulder. Simon chuckled. The kid really did look warm. He was certainly wearing enough clothes. The two older men had laughed watching the young observer prepare for his outing. He was wearing a red and blue flannel shirt and jeans over long johns. Atop the shirt he had at least three sweaters layered, topped with a bright blue ski suit, a red scarf and matching knit hat. He was wearing two pairs of gloves, and Simon was willing to bet that he had on at least that many pairs of socks beneath his ski boots.

In direct contrast, Jim was most likely wearing one layer of clothing beneath his red ski suit, making Blair look even more ridiculous. Simon shook his head again and headed to the cabin. "Well don't stay out too long. The cocoa will be waiting." He turned and went into the cabin, basking in the heat that wafted from the room at the opening door.

Jim grinned and continued his long trek up the slope. "Come on, Sandburg."

The two continued up the hill in companionable silence that was broken only by the crunch of the snow as they walked. At the top, both men busied themselves with fastening skis to boots.

"This was a great idea, Jim." Sandburg pulled his hat down lower around his ears, causing his curls to stand out from his head. "I'm glad we came up to the cabin instead of going to a resort. No wait for the slopes. 'Course the food isn't nearly as good......"

"Yeah? Well, you've cooked some of it, too, so I wouldn't be saying anything about the food. Are you ready?" Ellison picked up his ski poles and pushed off of the top of the slope.

Blair laughed, deep blue eyes sparkling as he watched his partner ski down the slope. This had definitely been a good idea. He hadn't seen Jim this relaxed in weeks. He was only sorry that their interlude from crime and the seamier side of life was nearly over. Jim was a detective for Major Crimes with the Cascade Washington Police Department. Captain Simon Banks was his commanding officer, as well as a close friend to both men. Blair was a teaching fellow at Rainier University, working toward his doctorate in Anthropology. He was also Jim's unofficial partner and an official observer with Major Crimes.

Officially, he was gathering research for his thesis on closed societies, studying the police department in general, and Major Crimes in particular, through the eyes of Detective Jim Ellison. Unofficially, he was helping Jim control and utilize his five heightened senses, which classified Jim as a Sentinel, and Blair as his Guide. It had started out as Blair's real thesis subject, but over the past three years it had developed into a close friendship and an unparalleled partnership. Blair had even moved in with the tough as nails detective when his apartment had been destroyed not long after they began working together. Over the years, the two intensely diverse men had begun to rub off on each other. Ellison was no longer quite as tough, unless you happened to be a bad guy, and Blair Sandburg had learned to hold his own with the criminal element in Cascade, often even going undercover for the department.

Things had been particularly grim lately. Simon had abruptly announced that Jim and Blair were taking a week off, and then informed them that he would be joining them for a skiing outing at his cousin's cabin in the mountains. Neither man had protested too hard, both desperate to get away from things for a while.

Upon their arrival at the cabin, Blair had watched with satisfaction as Jim had slowly begun to unwind and enjoy himself. As for himself, even with the cold, Blair was determined to have a good time for as long as he could before returning to Cascade and reality. Shaking off his deep thoughts, Blair pushed off and headed down the hill as well. As the wind whipped his cheeks and tugged at his curls, he glanced down with a wide smile at his partner. The smile faded instantly at what he saw.

Jim had stopped halfway down the hill and was staring back up past Blair, frozen in place. From experience, Blair recognized that stance. Jim had zoned on something, but what? Sandburg looked around wildly for anything that could have caught his partner's attention, but everything looked in order. And then he heard it- a low rumbling sound coming from behind him. Whipping around in alarm, Blair watched in horror as a mountain of white roared down towards them. Intermingled with the heavy blanket of snow were clumps of dirt, boulders, twigs and branches that were collecting on the way down.

Blair thought frantically as he spun to look back at his partner. An avalanche. What were you supposed to do in an avalanche? Oh, yeah. Swim toward the side. But Jim was still standing stiffly below him on the hillside. He couldn't just leave him there. If the avalanche were to hit Jim standing stiff and unprotected, facing into the worst of it, he wouldn't stand a chance. Somehow he needed to at least get his partner turned away from the brunt of the impact.

Jim must have heard the avalanche as it was beginning and this was what had caused the zone. "Jim! Look out!" Blair pushed off again, crouching down to add speed to his descent. "Jim! Listen to me, Jim!" He looked back over his shoulder, heart pounding in fear as the blanket of white continued onward, swallowing everything in its path. "Simon! Simon, avalanche!"

Even as he shouted, the door to the cabin swung wide, connecting with the wall with a resounding crack. Simon, having heard the commotion, stumbled out onto the deck, still clutching the steaming tea kettle in one hand. Blair noticed his stunned expression fleetingly and then turned his attention back to getting to his partner before the snow. At least Simon would know where they went down. He only hoped the path of the avalanche did not continue as far as the cabin, or they were all sunk. He had almost reached Jim now, but the snow was right behind him; he could hear it nipping at his heels.

Reaching his partner, he reached out with his right arm and braced himself. As he flew past Ellison, he grasped Jim's right forearm tightly in an attempt to turn his partner away from the coming tide. It felt like he'd hit a brick wall, and his arm immediately went numb, but he hung on grimly, stunned from the impact. The pain in his shoulder was phenomenal, and he vaguely guessed that he had dislocated it, but he didn't have time to think about that now. His strategy was working. As his momentum propelled him forcefully down the hill, Jim staggered and turned toward the bottom of the slope. Blair had one moment to triumph in his victory, and then the sea of white swallowed them whole.

******

The first thing he noticed was the cold. It seeped through his ski suit and leached the heat from his body. What was going on? The last thing he remembered was skiing down the slope, and then something sounded wrong. He had extended his hearing to check it out, and now he was surrounded by something cold and wet. Pushing hard, he tried to force his way out, but he couldn't move. He tentatively tried to open his eyes, but they immediately filled with the cold wet substance and he snapped them closed again. He was blind anyway, so it didn't matter whether his eyes were open or closed. As his thoughts began to focus, he realized that he was most likely buried in snow, considering that was where he had been when he heard the strange sound.

It seemed to be taking a long time for his mind to catch up with his circumstances, but he felt like he was finally coming back on line. If he was buried in the snow, then that probably meant that the strange sound he had heard was an avalanche. He tentatively tried to move his fingers and toes, hoping he had at least some mobility. His toes were packed solidly in the snow, but he was surprised to find that his arms were both close to his upper body, and he realized that he had a small air pocket. As he moved, he realized that he had lost his gloves somewhere. How had he fallen face down? He had been facing the top of the hill, so he should have been buried on his back, arms most likely at his sides. Maybe the force of the impact had flipped him over before he had been totally buried.

He suddenly realized that the blanket of snow had also left him in a world of silence. The only thing he could hear was a muffled crackling sound that was reminiscent of being underwater or plugging his ears. It was a very strange feeling. The overwhelming cold blocked out his sense of touch; he was effectively blind, deaf, and pretty well paralyzed. If he got out of this, he knew that Blair would have a million questions for him. And he really wouldn't mind answering them this time. At least it would mean he was alive. And hopefully warm. He almost felt sorry for his young partner if this was how he felt all the time. He was so cold it hurt, and for some reason he couldn't seem to control his senses enough to turn his sense of touch down to a manageable level. He really needed Blair. He would........

Blair! He had been further up the hill than Jim. Had he gotten out of the way of the avalanche, or was he buried under this mess too somewhere? And what about Simon? Had the cabin been wiped out? The questions spurred Jim to struggle harder, and he suddenly became aware of the pressure on his right arm. It took him a few minutes to realize that what he was feeling was a hand that had a tight grip on his arm. Blair! But how had Blair ended up beside him? With growing horror, he realized what must have happened. Blair's fingers were curled around his arm from underneath, indicating that Blair was lying on his back. Now Jim understood why he was lying face down when he should have been on his back himself. Blair had somehow reached him before the snow hit him and turned him around so that he would have a better chance of survival. He only hoped his partner didn't pay with his life for his heroic action.

**_To be continued . . ._**


	2. Chapter 2

**_A/N I forgot to mention in the first chapter - My thanks to my wonderful beta Dawn. Any mistakes are mine._**

"Come on, come on!" Simon shook the cell phone, desperately trying to get a signal. He had known that the cabin was far enough from civilization that they might not have phone capabilities, but it hadn't seemed important at the time. Now, when time was passing too fast, he couldn't believe he couldn't raise anyone. At least the avalanche had missed the cabin, or he would have been buried under the heavy snow along with Jim and Blair. His eyes remained locked on the place where he had seen the avalanche catch up with his friends. If he couldn't raise anyone, he was going to have to attempt to rescue them alone. He dropped the telephone in disgust, turning to a stack of supplies in the roomy closet just inside the cabin door. Digging frantically through the pile, he shook loose a pair of snowshoes. Grabbing a ski pole, a shovel and some blankets, he quickly returned to the deck, stopping only to don the snowshoes.

It took him a few steps to get used to the feel of walking on top of the snow, but as soon as he did, he pushed himself to cover ground as quickly as possible. Even with the snowshoes it was slow going. The avalanche had left the snow uneven and lumpy, littered with branches, dirt and rocks. He had to pick his way carefully toward the spot where he had last seen his friends, the uphill slant hindering his efforts further.

Looking around critically, Simon set the blankets and shovel down and began to push through the snow gently with the ski pole. The sooner he could find Jim and Blair, the better their chances of survival. If they didn't have air pockets, they could be dead already. But he refused to think like that. He continued to push the ski pole down into the snow, searching for any solid obstacles that would give away his friends' position.

******

Jim had cleared quite a large area around his face, and by breathing shallowly, he was attempting to conserve oxygen. He had managed to pry Blair's hand loose from his arm and was struggling to free more of his partner. By guessing his friend's position, he was trying to dig through to where he suspected his face might be. Although Blair's heart was still beating, and Jim could now hear the wonderful sound even through the muted crackling in his ears, it was not beating quickly enough for his liking, and Jim knew he needed to hurry. His fingers were stiff with cold, still bleeding, and almost numb. As he clawed at the wet blanket, he wondered if he would ever be the same again. But it didn't matter as long as he could get Blair free.

Progress was slow, and it seemed to be taking hours, although Jim knew it couldn't have been more than half an hour. He also knew that most avalanche victims only survive for twenty minutes to an hour. He hoped that Simon had help on the way, or they would be rescuing two corpses.

His thoughts were interrupted when the slow steady heartbeat he had been focusing on began to pick up speed. Finally. His rising excitement turned to panic when the heartbeat skyrocketed. Blair was terrified, and Jim had no way of calming him down. Wait. Maybe he did. He reached out quickly and groped for Blair's hand. Squeezing it tightly, he relaxed as his partner's heart rate began to slow. Jim hesitated a moment and then spoke.

"Chief, can you hear me? Don't answer, I don't want you to use up your oxygen. Just squeeze my hand once for yes, two for no, okay?" Staring sightlessly into the darkness, he waited, wondering if Blair could even hear him through the layer of snow between them. There was a moment of hesitation, then he felt a light pressure against his fingers. One. "Yes! Glad to have you back, Buddy. Can you move at all?" Another hesitation, then the pressure again, a hesitation, then a second squeeze. "No. Okay, well what about air? Are you breathing okay?"

One squeeze. Jim relaxed again. "Okay, Blair. I'm not going to talk anymore, but I'm going to have to let go of your hand. I need to keep trying to dig you out." One squeeze. "Okay, here goes, Buddy." Jim released Blair's hand, marveling at how hard it was to accomplish that simple task. He wanted to hang on to his partner and let him know it was going to be okay, but he knew it wouldn't be okay if he didn't get Blair free very soon.

Flexing his stiff fingers, he returned to his monotonous digging.

******

"Come on." Simon continued to push his ski pole through the snow, hoping for any kind of sign that he had found his friends. Time was running out. He glanced at his watch. Thirty-five minutes had already elapsed since the avalanche. "Brilliant idea, Simon. Let's take our vacation where there's no one to help us. And why not make it someplace with no cell phone access. Absolutely brilliant." He rubbed one hand across his face, wiping the cold sweat away. Then, hands shaking, he went back to his search. He was so busy castigating himself for their present predicament that it nearly didn't register when his ski pole hit something soft but solid. "Yes. Come on, let it be them!" He moved the pole over a few inches and gently slid it into the snow again. Once again it hit something. "Yes! It's got to be them!"

Nearly stumbling over the snowshoes in his haste, Simon grabbed the shovel and the blankets and moved back to where the ski pole was still sticking out of the snow. He frantically unbuckled the snowshoes, allowing his legs to sink into the snow to provide more solid leverage. Then dropping the blankets on top of his discarded snowshoes, Simon began to dig.

******

Blair was trying his best to keep calm, but from the moment he had awoken, he knew he was fighting a losing battle. It had taken a moment to remember what had happened, and the fact that he was totally immobilized terrified him. But just when he was about to have a full blown panic attack, he had felt something squeezing his hand and realized that he was not alone. That fact helped a lot. If he wasn't alone, then this was only temporary and he would be out of this cold tomb soon. He forced his eyes open in a confused effort at taking stock of his surroundings.

Nothing. He couldn't see anything. He tried to move, feeling the panic rise again, but nothing seemed to be working. Nothing but his right hand. He had plenty of feeling in that hand. Cold, wet, but most importantly, he could feel the warm pressure of another hand against it. That feeling was keeping him grounded.

"Chief, can you hear me?" The words were muffled, but he could hear them and he nearly cried. It was Jim. Jim was with him, which meant everything would be fine. "Don't answer, I don't want you to use up your oxygen. Just squeeze my hand once for yes, two for no, okay?"

Fighting an irrational urge to giggle, Blair focused all of his energy on that one unfettered hand and squeezed. He wondered giddily how Jim would react if he squeezed two for no.

"Yes! Glad to have you back, Buddy."

_Back? Where would I have gone?_

"Can you move at all?"

_What do you think, Jim?_ Blair struggled not to get angry at his partner and squeezed twice.

"No. Okay, well what about air? Are you breathing okay?"

_Well, I'm not inhaling snow, if that's what you mean. _Blair squeezed once, waiting for Jim's next question.

"Okay, Blair. I'm not going to talk anymore, but I'm going to have to let go of your hand. I need to keep trying to dig you out."

_Now there's an idea. _Blair squeezed once.

"Okay, here goes, Buddy." The warm pressure left his hand, and Blair found himself adrift again, feeling only the cold and wetness seeping into his body.

******

Jim was still frantically digging at the barrier between his partner and himself, when he suddenly felt a sharp poke in his back, just above his kidney. Simon! Simon had found him! Relief flooded over him, but his mind began racing, trying to figure out how to let their rescuer know he had found them. Then he felt another softer poke a little bit higher on his back and knew that Simon had figured it out for himself.

"Blair, it's going to be okay! Simon found us. He's going to get us out right away, okay, Buddy?" Jim grasped Blair's hand again, squeezing it firmly. "You still with me, Chief?" The answering pressure was dishearteningly feeble. "Blair, do you still have enough air in there?"

This time there was no response to his question, and Jim prayed that Simon would hurry. The air was getting thin on his side, too, and he knew that Blair didn't have as much breathing space as he did.

Breathing as shallowly as possible, he continued to dig with one hand, keeping his other one tightly wrapped around his partner's limp fingers.

_**To be continued . . .**_


	3. Chapter 3

**_Okay, here's chapter 3. Thank you all for reading!_**

Simon continued to dig frantically at the snow encasing his friends, being careful not to push the shovel in too deep. The last thing he wanted to do was actually hit one of the buried men with the shovel and cause any further injuries. If only he could let them know he was coming. Wait. Jim was a Sentinel. If his senses were functioning, then he would be able to hear Simon even if Simon couldn't hear him.

"Jim, if you can hear me, I'm digging right above one of you. I should be through soon. You two hang on, do you hear me? I'm almost there. Just hang in there." He kept up a running commentary as he continued his digging. At last his shovel touched the soft form he had felt before. Dropping to his knees, he began to dig at the snow with his gloved hands. "Okay, Jim, I'm through. I'm about to uncover one of you. Here goes."

He brushed the snow away and sighed with relief as the red ski jacket was unveiled. "Jim, I got you. Almost there. I'm going to uncover your head, okay? I know you need air now, so I'm going to get you some."

Digging again at the snow with his hands, he scraped armfuls of snow away from Jim's back, neck and head.

******

Jim was beginning to lose hope. He knew that Simon had found them and was uncovering him. He could feel the movement at his back and knew that it was only a matter of time until he was uncovered. He just didn't know if it would be in time. His grasp on consciousness was wavering as his chest heaved, struggling to breathe. He wanted nothing more than to go to sleep, but he fought it with all of his remaining energy.

He was still holding Blair's hand, monitoring the slow pulse, but he no longer had the energy to dig any more. "Come on, Simon! Blair, hang in there, Buddy!!" He squeezed his partner's fingers again, and then finally gave in to the urge to close his eyes. The last thing he was aware of was Simon's voice, telling him to hold on.

******

Simon's excitement grew as he finally uncovered the back of Jim's head. The detective's face was turned toward the right side, and Simon quickly cleared any remaining snow from around his face. Jim was unconscious, and Simon realized that he was not breathing. He was totally limp, his lips turning blue.

"Jim! Come on, Jim. Don't you do this to me! Breathe, Ellison. Come on! Sandburg needs you. Do you hear me?" He gently grasped Jim's shoulder, bending down in preparation to start rescue breathing if necessary. "Breathe!!"

Suddenly the detective stirred and sucked in a lungful of the clean cold air. Coughing and sputtering, he slowly opened his eyes, then closed them again. "Too bright!" he gasped.

"Okay, Jim, just keep your eyes closed for now. You're going to be fine. Do you know where Sandburg is?"

Ellison's eyes flew open again, and this time he forced them to remain open even through the pain. "He's right beside me, Simon. I'm holding his hand right now. But he stopped responding to me a few minutes ago. I think he's out of oxygen. We need to hurry!" He tugged at his arms, attempting to free them from his prison.

"Okay, Jim, calm down. We'll get you both out. Let me loosen the snow around your arms, and then we'll get him out. Okay? How are you feeling? Are you in pain? I know you have to be freezing, probably hypothermic, but other than that how do you feel?"

"I don't know. All I can feel is the cold. It hurts, Simon. Please hurry. Get me loose!"

Simon patted Jim awkwardly on the shoulder and set to work freeing his detective's arms from the snow. "Don't move yet, Jim. Let me check you for any injuries. How does your back feel? Any pain in your back or neck?" He carefully checked Jim's torso and extremities for any obvious injuries, relaxing when he found nothing.

"Simon , I'm fine! Get Blair out, please!" Jim was still clutching his friend's cold hand, and now that he was able to move and use both arms, he stripped the gloves from Blair's icy fingers. "His heart's still beating slowly, but I don't know for how long. From the position of his hand, he has to be on his back. I don't know how much of a breathing space he has, especially since he only had one hand free when we went down. God, Simon, did you see what he did?"

Simon had crawled around Jim and was digging frantically at the snow separating them from the observer. "Yes, I did see what he did, Jim. And before you say anything, you know very well that you would have done the same for him. He was just trying to help you."

"Yeah." Jim let Blair's hand drop back to the snow and joined Simon in digging at the snow and ice crystals. He was still freezing, and the wind whipping down the slope was making it worse. The heat of his body had melted the snow directly around him, and he was dripping with the melted snow. He knew they didn't have much time, even if they could uncover Blair's face. He was most likely hypothermic by now, and they both needed to get in where it was warm.

He tried to twist onto his side to get a better angle for digging, but his legs refused to cooperate. Frowning, he pushed himself up on one arm and followed the snow covering down to his legs with the other. What he found brought a chill to his heart. A large branch was draped across his lower body, pinning his legs to the ground before continuing at an angle across the snow in the direction of where Blair must be.

Jim had assumed that the reason Blair couldn't move and had remained unresponsive was due to lack of oxygen. Now it seemed more likely it was due to being trapped under the branch that held both men captive. From the angle of the branch, it appeared it could be lying across something vital, possibly Blair's chest or even his head.

"Hurry up, Simon. I think we've got another problem here." He returned to his digging with renewed vigor. "When Blair said he couldn't move, I assumed he was just packed into the snow too tight, but now I'm not so sure." He indicated the branch.

Simon barely looked up, still working at the snow. Finally, his fingers touched wet fabric, and he looked up at Jim. "I've got him, Jim." He brushed more of the snow away, revealing the back of Blair's head, the heavy knit cap still tugged down over his ears. His face was turned away from his rescuers, and Simon pushed himself to work faster. Pushing at the snow just above Sandburg's head, he encountered the young man's other hand.

"Look, Jim. He's got his face covered. He did manage to make himself an air pocket."

Jim sighed with relief, but reached out as far as he could and pulled feebly at the snow still covering his partner. Simon pushed his hand out of the way. "Let me do it, Jim. I have a better angle here."

He dug at the wet snow covering Blair's raised left arm and soon had it free. Continuing to uncover the unconscious man, he brushed at the snow on the other side of his face. Suddenly he stiffened. "Jim."

Jim pushed himself up as far as he could to see what had Simon so concerned. The chill in his heart grew at what he saw. Not only was the branch lying across his partner, but the top of the branch was lying across the side of Blair's blood streaked face. The only good thing to come of it was that the branch had allowed Blair to retain a good sized breathing space, even with only one available arm. Between his protective arm and the branch, there had been quite a large space that remained snow free.

The bad news was that while Jim had assumed Blair had passed out due to lack of oxygen, it had actually been a head injury that had caused him to lose consciousness. From the position of the branch and the amount of blood streaking the right side of his face, it looked as though it could be a serious injury.

"Come on, Simon. Let's get him out of there!" Simon nodded and continued to uncover the observer as quickly as possible, while Jim returned to work at attempting to free his legs so he could help with his partner. At least they were both breathing freely now, but he had a feeling they had a long way to go before they would be out of the woods.

**_I am already started cleaning up chapter 4. I will get it up as soon as possible. Reviews welcome!!_**


	4. Chapter 4

**_Here's a slightly longer chapter for you!_**

"Mom!"

Joan Banks looked up sharply as Daryl's frustrated voice floated down from the second floor. "What is it, Honey? I'm in the kitchen."

Daryl appeared at the top of the stairs, looking as frustrated as he sounded. "Have you seen my black notebook? I can't find it anywhere, and that report I've been working on for my American Government class is in there. You know.. the one that's worth half my grade?"

Joan smiled indulgently, turning her attention back to the fragrant pot of soup she was stirring on the stove. "No, I haven't seen it. When was the last time you remember having it?"

Daryl frowned as he tried to think back to when he had last seen the book. "Oh, no! I think I left it in Dad's car. I was working on it last weekend." He slumped down against the banister. "That's just great. Now what am I supposed to do? If I don't turn in that report on Monday, I'll get an incomplete and then I won't graduate!"

"Well, Sweetie, isn't it a little late to start thinking about this? The Saturday before it's due?" Joan shook her head at her son, exasperated. "Well, what time did your father say he would be home from his trip?"

Daryl's face lit up. "Oh, yeah. Good idea, Mom. He said he'd be back tomorrow afternoon." He trotted down the stairs and grabbed the cordless phone sitting on the coffee table in the living room. He quickly punched in a few numbers and then waited for a few moments. "Hi, Dad. This is Daryl."

Joan suppressed a smile, wondering who else would be calling Simon 'Dad'. Removing the pot of soup from the stove, she carried it to the kitchen table and sat it down on a hot plate.

Daryl turned his back to his mother absently. "Dad, I think I left my black notebook in your car last weekend. Could you please give me a call as soon as you get back? I need to come get it. I need a report in that book for school on Monday. It's real important if I want to graduate." He started to lower the telephone from his ear, then grinned and spoke again. "Oh, and I hope you had a good time skiing. Okay, thanks. I'll be waiting for you to call."

"Feel better now?" Joan smiled at her son, already ladling the soup into two bowls. "Think maybe you could eat some supper now?"

"Sure, Mom. Everything's going to be fine." Daryl grinned back at Joan. "I'll know as soon as Dad gets home."

******

Simon was still feverishly brushing snow away from Blair's body, and the more of his friend he uncovered, the worse both rescuers felt. The branch that Jim had discovered lying across his legs was turning out to be more of a log, and it was lying across Blair's body at an angle that assured both men that it would not be easy to move.

"We could use a backboard and a cervical collar here." Jim watched in frustration as Simon continued to work. "I wish I could get out from under this tree. I feel useless. I should be helping you with him."

Simon paused briefly to turn and look critically at Jim. "You just take it easy, Jim. I'm here thinking that I might need someone to help me with **you**. You know we still don't know how bad your legs are hurt. We'll get through this, but you're going to have to hang on a few minutes here. I'll figure something out."

He turned back to the task at hand. He had removed nearly all of the snow covering Sandburg and was studying the branch to figure out the best way to move it. Jim, intently watching his partner, was the first to notice when Blair began to stir again. The injured man's breathing began to increase, and his body jerked spasmodically as he attempted to open his eyes. His lashes fluttered, then stayed open, although his gaze was fixed on nothing in particular, and he didn't seem to be aware of his surroundings.

"Chief? How ya doin'?" Jim and Simon watched their friend anxiously, waiting to see if he would respond. Blair's body jerked again, seeming to bring him to a more alert state. His brow wrinkled in confusion, which quickly turned to panic. Jim grasped his partner's hand firmly. "Blair, it's okay. We're going to be fine. Simon found us. Just relax until he can get us out of here, all right?"

Blair attempted a deep breath but broke off halfway through, gasping for air. Jim could tell that the heavy burden pinning his partner to the ground was constricting his chest and making breathing difficult.

"J'm?" It was so soft that only a Sentinel could have heard the quiet question.

"Yeah, Chief. You're okay, Buddy." Jim leaned as close to his partner as he could. "How are you feeling? Can you tell me how you're doing?"

There was a long pause, then Blair sucked in another breath. "J'm? Can't see, J'm ...."

"Simon, get me out from under this tree!" He struggled against the weight holding his legs immobile, regardless of any possible injury to himself. "Get it off!"

"All right, Ellison, calm down!" Simon used his best captain's bellow, hoping to capture the frantic detective's attention.

Jim stopped struggling and went limp for a few seconds, breathing deeply. Then he turned tortured blue eyes toward his captain. "Simon, I **have** to get to him!"

"I know that, Jim. Just hang on a minute and I'll figure a way for you to get out." Simon stepped back for a moment, looking around wildly. Then his eyes lit up. "Hold on, I think I found something." Simon attempted to take a step away from Jim and Blair, but found himself floundering in the deep snow.

Jim watched him with undisguised interest, a spark of hope gleaming in ice blue eyes. "Hang in there, Blair. Simon's got an idea." He squeezed his partner's hand gently before returning his attention to his captain. "Simon, whatever your idea is, maybe you should use the snowshoes." He dropped his head back to the ground and closed his eyes as the pain in his legs threatened to overwhelm him.

"Jim, dial it down." Simon glared sternly at Ellison, then turned his mind toward a solution to their current dilemma. "And thanks."

Grasping the tail end of one of the snowshoes, he dragged it toward him and attempted to replace it on his foot.

"This was a lot easier on the deck."

"Just do it." Jim's terse response was quiet, and Simon looked up sharply to find Jim with a look of intense concentration on his face.

"You okay, Jim?"

Ellison opened his eyes with a slight smile. "Yeah, I'm okay. Just following orders. I dialed it down."

Simon finally got the snowshoe fastened on his foot and reached for its mate. "Hey, I think I've got the hang of this now."

"So what's your idea?" Jim opened his eyes and craned his neck, trying once again to see his partner. "How's he doing, Simon?"

"My idea is to use another branch to lift the weight off your legs. Then when we get you out, you can help me get your partner out. I think he's unconscious again, by the way."

Jim reached over and grasped Blair's dangling fingers gently. "He's ice cold. I think that with the way he's lying, his shoulder must be dislocated. His arm isn't hanging right."

"Yeah, I noticed that." Simon leaned back in satisfaction. "Got it." He gestured toward his snowshoe clad feet, which unfortunately were stretched straight out in front of him with the toes pointing up. "Now all I have to do is figure out how to stand up!"

Despite the gravity of the situation, Jim couldn't control the chuckle that rose unbidden to his throat at the sight of his captain sitting in such an undignified position.

"Um, I think you'll need to get your feet flat on the ground and then somehow pull yourself up. Maybe you should have climbed out first and then put the snowshoes on?"

"Now you tell me," Simon grumbled halfheartedly as he struggled to bend his legs enough to get his feet flat to the top of the heavy piles of snow. After several unsuccessful attempts to stand up, he slumped in defeat. "This isn't going to work."

"Try one first." The weak murmur came from behind Jim, and he whipped around.

"Blair?" He squeezed the cold fingers. "Are you in there, Buddy?" A quiet grunt was his response. "Do you really think that will work?" Another grunt. "Simon, Blair says try one shoe first."

Simon brightened. "Of course! Why didn't I think of that?" He quickly removed his right snowshoe and maneuvered to get his left foot flat against the surface. With his newly freed right leg, he was able to push his way to a standing position. Balancing precariously on one leg, he attached the other snowshoe. Finally he stood triumphantly on both snowshoes. "Brilliant idea, Sandburg!"

Jim glanced down at his partner. "He's out again, Simon. I hope this works!"

"We'll make it work." Simon concentrated on his feet as he walked carefully across the snow toward the branch he had seen protruding from the white expanse. "Okay, I got it. I'll be right back and we'll get you out, Jim." He pulled at the branch and managed to yank it loose, almost losing his balance in the process. Cradling it protectively in his arms, he began the return journey toward his men.

Slipping free of his snowshoes, he dropped back into the pit he had dug around the injured men. "Okay, Jim, be ready. I'm going to push this branch under the one lying across your legs. As soon as you can, pull yourself forward." He carefully slipped his branch beneath the one lying across his men. "Now I'm only going to lift it a little, because I don't want to hurt Blair worse."

Jim tensed all his muscles, and as soon as he felt the branch lift slightly from his legs, he began to drag himself forward. Simon lowered the branch as Jim pulled himself clear. Ellison gave a sigh of relief, then took a moment to massage his sore legs.

"Let me see, Jim." Simon crawled over toward his detective. "How bad is it?"

"I'm okay." Jim impatiently brushed aside his captain's concern. "Let's worry about Blair now and my bruises later." He carefully crawled to his partner and leaned over him, peering into his face. "Chief, can you hear me?" He watched Blair's eyes for signs of waking, rewarded when the blue eyes fluttered open.

"Hi Jim." Sandburg's eyes rolled sluggishly, then struggled to focus on his partner. "What's going on?"

Jim closed his eyes in relief. "Blair, you can see me?" His biggest fear had been for blindness, but Sandburg seemed to be focusing on his face. "You scared me when you said you couldn't see."

Blair blinked in confusion. "I couldn't see you then. Now I can." His eyes closed again, and he was unconscious again instantly.

Jim could tell the difference in his partner's vitals, everything slowing as he dropped deeper into his unconscious state. "He's got a pretty good concussion going there, Simon. His pupils are really unequal. With the dislocated shoulder, and anything else we find here, I think he's in bad shape. We need to get him help as soon as possible."

"Okay, well, I need your help here. You lift the top part of the branch, and I'll get the bottom. We'll lift both ends at once, so we don't put any pressure on him. Ready?" Simon wrapped his hands around the bottom of the branch, which was lying across Blair's upper legs and torso.

"Yeah, ready." Jim grasped the other end and began to lift as Simon struggled with his end. Although it was incredibly heavy, they managed to lift the offending branch off of the unconscious observer.

Jim dropped to his knees, wincing in pain. He carefully ran his hands over his partner's body, looking for further injuries. "Okay, Simon, I think he's safe to move. I don't sense any spinal injuries. I'm not sure about internal injuries, though. He has some really hot spots on his belly. But I do know we need to get him out of the cold. So you grab his feet and I'll take his arms. But first....." He grasped Blair's arm at the wrist and shoulder, and deftly pulled and twisted until the shoulder popped back into place.

Sandburg jerked, moaning, then seemed to drop back to sleep. This worried both men, as he seemed incapable of staying awake. Carefully lifting him, they plowed through the snow, struggling against the drifts. Snowshoes would have helped, but they only had the one pair, and that would have been counterproductive. At last they reached the deck, and Ellison carefully mounted the stairs, Simon following close behind him.

Once inside the cabin, the two men laid their burden on the couch in front of the fireplace. Simon knelt down and stirred up the dying embers of the fire he had started so long ago. All three of them needed to get warm.

Blair moaned again and moved restlessly on the couch. Struggling to open his eyes, he looked around dazedly. "Wow."

Jim knelt down beside him. "Wow, what, Chief?"

"I had the strangest dream." Blair's voice was slightly slurred as he struggled to focus on his partner. "There was an avalanche an' you zoned an' we got caught in it. My head hurts. Guess I have a migraine." His eyes closed again, and his breathing evened out.

"I think we have a problem, Jim." Simon interrupted Jim's intense study of his partner. "Look." He pointed out the front window of the cabin.

Jim's heart sank. Although they had been fortunate enough to have the avalanche miss the cabin, the winding driveway had not fared so well. Halfway down the driveway and spreading across the road, the drifts had risen high enough that they would never be able to drive out of here, and they were far enough up in the mountains that the cell phones would not work.

"Simon, we're stuck here until somebody notices we're missing!" Jim glanced anxiously down at his still partner. "I just hope Blair has that long!"

**_To be continued . . ._**

**_Thanks for reading! Chapter 5 coming soon._**


	5. Chapter 5

**_Here's Chapter 5. Thanks for reading and for the great reviews! _**

"Well in the meantime, let's see what we can do for him." Simon headed for the bathroom, returning with his hands full of blankets and the first-aid kit. "How are you doing, Jim? How are the legs?"

Ellison nodded absently, his whole attention focused on his partner. "I'm a little sore, but I'll be fine." He carefully removed the gloves from Blair's hands, scrutinizing the limp fingers for signs of frostbite. Satisfied with his findings, he moved down to Blair's feet and began to unfasten the injured man's boots. Removing them and the two pairs of socks beneath them, he checked again. "No frostbite. That's one good thing. Can you help me get his ski suit off? I want to be really careful with his arm."

"Sure, Jim." Simon stepped forward as Jim unzipped the ski suit. He shook his head ruefully. "The good thing about Sandburg wearing all those clothes is they probably helped to cushion the blow. The bad thing about them is getting him out of them all!"

Jim eased Blair's good arm from the sleeve of his suit. "You got that right. Can you lift him up a little bit so I can get his arm out of the sleeve? Easy does it." He concentrated on disturbing the injured arm as little as possible, easing it from the sleeve of the suit. He carefully felt the sweaters beneath the suit. "I think that the suit kept his clothes dry, but we still need to get him out of them so I can check him out."

Simon nodded, and the two men worked together to carefully ease the clothing off of the injured man. When they had him down to his boxers, Jim set to work cataloging his partner's injuries. Blair's feet and legs seemed to be untouched, but an angry bruise was developing on his right hip. It disappeared under the boxers, reappearing on his right side and continuing up his body to end at his right temple.

Jim checked Blair's right upper leg for broken bones, then moved up to his partner's belly. Easing the boxers down slightly, he gently touched the bruises, checking for internal injuries. Frustrated, he looked up at Simon. "I really can't tell if he's doing any serious bleeding or not. I guess we'll just have to wait and see how he does."

"He's strong, Jim. I'm sure he'll be fine." Simon rubbed at his neck distractedly. "How're his ribs? That bruise goes right across them."

Jim continued his examination, fingers moving lightly over his partner's rib cage. "Feels like he's got a couple of broken ones. I don't think they're bad enough to have damaged his lungs, though. He seems to be breathing okay." He lightly probed Blair's swollen right shoulder. "We should probably immobilize this. That's gotta hurt." He carefully arranged Blair's right arm so that it was in position for a sling.

Simon opened the first-aid kit and dug through the contents until he found what he was looking for. He held up a sling, a roll of bandages, and another roll of tape. "Maybe this will help."

Jim glanced up at him briefly. "Thanks, Simon. That's perfect."

Together the two men immobilized Blair's injured arm, glad that he was not conscious to feel the pain as they worked. Once they were done, Jim turned his attention to his partner's head injury. With Simon's help, he cleaned and bandaged the cuts and scrapes at Blair's temple. Jim ran his fingers across the swollen bruises, trying to determine if there was a fracture.

"I can't tell." His frustration level was obvious, and Simon laid a hand gently on his shoulder. "My senses are all out of whack, and I can't tell if it's a skull fracture or not. From the look of his eyes, it's at least a severe concussion. I just wish we could keep him awake."

"Yeah." Simon looked down at the observer mournfully. "I guess coming up here was a stupid idea, huh?"

"No, Simon. I think that we needed to come up here. I've relaxed more in the past week than I have in a long time, and I know Blair thinks it was a wonderful idea, too. This is not your fault!" He looked up with a tiny smile. "This is the Sandburg luck. You know how Blair attracts trouble."

Simon chuckled. Then, turning serious again, he studied his detective. "Okay, Jim. Blair's injuries have been taken care of. Now it's your turn. I want to see your legs...NOW."

Ellison looked up at the captain with a crooked grin. "Simon, really. You're not my type!" But he removed his own clothes, stripping down to boxers as well.

Simon sucked in a deep breath when he saw Jim's legs. Angry bruising spread across the back of his legs, starting at Jim's left ankle and continuing across his right leg just below the knee. "That has **got** to hurt. How could you keep saying you were okay, Jim? Is anything torn or broken?"

"Well, of course it hurts." Ellison grinned ruefully. "But it's not serious. I'll be limping for a day or two. But it wasn't serious enough to keep me from helping Blair." He replaced his clothing and turned his attention back to his partner.

Sandburg had begun to shiver, goose bumps standing out on his flesh. "Simon, I can't believe we've just left him half naked like this. We need to get him warm. Hand me those blankets, will you?" He carefully covered Sandburg with several blankets, tucking them in around his partner. "Hopefully that'll do it. But just in case, why don't you make that hot cocoa you were talking about before. Maybe we can get a little of that down him and warm him up from the inside, too."

"But I thought you weren't supposed to let someone with a head injury eat or drink anything?"

"That's true." Jim nodded approvingly. "But right now we also have to worry about hypothermia, and I'm just talking about a few sips. We may be here for a long time, so I think we may have to break a few rules to get through this."

"Right. Hot cocoa." Simon turned toward the stove, glad to have something to do. "Coming right up."

"Thanks, Simon. While you're making it, I'm going to see what I can do about waking him up." Ellison sat down on the edge of the couch beside his partner and lightly tapped Blair's face. "Blair, it's time to wake up. Come on, Buddy."

Sandburg showed no signs of waking, raising Jim's concern to a new level. "Sandburg! Wake up now!" He was practically shouting now, but there were still no visible results. "Come on, Chief. I need you to talk to me."

Simon, watching from the stove, suddenly strode over to the sofa and grabbed Blair's good shoulder. "Sandburg, you need to wake up now. There's something wrong with Jim." When there was no response, he tried again. "Sandburg! Blair! Jim needs you. Did you hear me? Jim needs you to wake up now."

Blair stirred and slowly opened his eyes. "J'm? Wha's wrong?"

Ellison sagged in relief. "Thanks, Simon. Good thinking." He sat forward again, keeping his hand on his partner's arm. "Hey, Blair, I can't seem to get a handle on my senses. They keep coming in and out. I need your help. Can you stay with me here?"

"Sure, J'm." Blair's eyes rolled, but he made a determined effort to keep them open. They did remain open, although not focused on anything. There was a long pause, then Sandburg spoke again. "Can't 'member what you sh'd do. Sorry, J'm." There were tears in his voice, and Jim watched as tears gathered in Blair's eyes also.

"No, that's okay, Blair. You're doing fine. Don't apologize. I think that maybe if you just stay awake and talk to me for a while that it'll help. Can you do that for me?"

There was another long pause, and then the slurred voice again. "T-try, J'm. N-not easy."

"Yeah, I know, Chief. But it would sure help me out if you would do that for me."

Sandburg made a valiant attempt to focus on his Sentinel but seemed to be unable to do so. "Talk? Wh't sh'd talk 'bout?"

"I don't know. Why don't you tell me about some of your travels with Naomi, or talk about what you're teaching in one of your classes, or something like that?"

"N'omi? She here?" Sandburg's eyes rolled again. "How'd she find so f'st?"

Jim and Simon exchanged a grim look. Blair was very disoriented. This was not good. Simon shook his head in frustration and retreated to the stove to stir his hot cocoa.

"No, she's not here. I just would like to hear about her. Tell me a story about when you were a kid." Jim squeezed his partner's shoulder, encouraging him.

"Oh. 'Kay." Blair was silent again. "Can't 'member any. T'll me."

Ellison looked at him in confusion. "You want me to tell you a story about when you were a kid?"

"No, you."

"You want me to tell you a story about when **I** was a kid, huh?" Ellison thought for a moment, trying to come up with an interesting incident from his childhood that Blair hadn't already heard.

"Cocoa's ready." Simon appeared at Jim's elbow carrying a mug of hot cocoa. "Blair, we have some hot cocoa for you. That should warm you up."

"No' th'sty." The slurring was worsening, as Sandburg seemed to be losing his battle against the impending oblivion. "Sl'py."

"No, Blair. Stay awake!" Jim spoke sharply, alarmed when Blair's eyes closed. "I need you to stay awake, Buddy."

"C'n't. Sl'py." Blair made one last attempt to open his eyes, then lost consciousness once more.

Jim squeezed his partner's shoulder again, more for his own comfort than for Blair's benefit. "Simon, I don't think he's going to make it if we have to wait for help. He's in bad trouble here."

Simon set the cocoa down on the coffee table in front of the sofa. Then he sat down heavily on the edge of the table, eyes locked on the injured man. "Yeah. I hate to say it, but I think you're right. We need to figure out some way to let someone know we're here."

"I'm open to suggestions." Jim's frustration was evident.

"Yeah." Simon looked at Jim grimly. "Unfortunately, so am I."

**_Okay, I promise I am working on cleaning up chapter 6 as we speak! _**


	6. Chapter 6

**_Here's chapter 6. Thanks for the great reviews. They make my day!_**

For a long moment, the heavy silence in the room was broken only by the intermittent crackle of the fire. Jim remained sitting at the edge of the sofa, hip pressed against his partner's side. He absently laid his hand on Blair's chest just over his heart, keeping track of the young man's vitals. He stared into the fire, desperately trying to find a way out of this mess. He wouldn't even contemplate what would happen if they couldn't get help in time. There had to be a way.

Simon was still standing frozen in the middle of the room, a steaming mug of hot cocoa clasped in his hands. If Jim didn't know better, he might have thought the captain had zoned. Jim shook his head to clear it of his thoughts.

"Simon." He watched in concern as Simon's head whipped up in surprise, almost as if he had forgotten Jim was there. "Simon, I could use a cup of that cocoa."

"Oh, sure, Jim." Simon handed him the steaming cup, and Jim cradled it gratefully in one hand. He knew it was silly, but he had this terrifying feeling that if he took his hand from his partner's chest, Blair's heart would stop its comforting beating.

Jim took a sip of the hot drink, savoring the feel as it spread its liquid heat all the way to his stomach. "Thanks. I didn't realize how cold I was 'til just now. That really hit the spot. Maybe now I can think." He set the mug on the floor at his feet and looked down at his partner. "We need to figure out some way to get him help. Or......at least to get help to _him_."

Simon moved a step closer and balanced a hip on the arm of the sofa. "What are you thinking?"

"Well, maybe we can't take him out in the car, but what if one of us makes a run through the drifts? Maybe if we really gun it, we can force our way through it?"

Simon's eyes lit up. "It's worth a shot! It might work -- if we got up enough momentum!"

Ellison stood up, reluctantly breaking the contact between his hand and his partner. "Well, help me get the car ready. I'd better get moving or the snow will blow across the road worse than it is now."

"Uh-uh, Detective." Simon spoke softly, but in his patented captain's voice. "You aren't going. Blair'll want you if he wakes up. Besides, you know a lot more about medicine than I do. I'll go."

"But who's the Sentinel here?" Jim protested halfheartedly. He really didn't want to leave Blair, not even to go for help.

"You are. But whose car is it?"

Jim had to grin at that. "Okay, you win. You go then. And thanks, Simon. Let me help you get the car turned around so you have the most traction."

Both men automatically glanced down at the unconscious man on the sofa, then put heavy winter coats back on in preparation to return outside. Simon quickly got behind the wheel and started the engine, strapping himself in out of habit. Jim watched him solemnly and grabbed a snow shovel, heading further down the driveway. He headed for the spot below the curve in the pavement where the snow and debris had spread across the driveway and into the snow bank on the other side. Squaring his shoulders, he began to work with his shovel, trying to smooth the worst of the obstacles.

Simon had allowed his car to warm up now, and he nodded at Jim and closed the door. Ellison stood off to the side of the driveway, leaning heavily on the shovel handle. His legs were hurting more and more as the day went on, but he didn't want Simon to know about that. It might deter the captain from his primary objective...getting help for Sandburg.

Simon closed his eyes briefly, then reopened them and put the car in gear. As Jim watched, holding his breath, Simon stepped on the gas and the car began to move. As he neared the curve in the driveway, Simon pressed the accelerator to the floor. The engine roared and the tires skidded slightly on the wet pavement before catching and increasing the speed. Jim cringed as the tires hit the first obstacle, the debris in the driveway. The sedan fishtailed and the wheels spun, a horrible grating noise rising as the undercarriage hit the rocks, twigs and branches interspersed with the heavy snow. But after a slight hesitation, the car pulled free and lurched forward toward the road.

Jim closed his eyes, his heart pounding. They were halfway there. There was one other obstacle to surmount, a second pile of debris across the road just beyond the bottom of the driveway. Simon kept his momentum going, speeding toward the debris. Jim opened his eyes to watch, stiffening with the tension.

The sedan hit the pile of debris head on, once again emitting a horrendous screeching noise as it scraped across. About halfway across, the car jerked to the side, fishtailing again as the tires lost traction. Before Jim could move, Simon and car slid sideways into a ditch that had remained unseen under all of the extra snow. When the car had stopped moving, it was so far down on its side that it would be impossible to get it out without a tow truck and a winch.

Jim forgot all of his aches and bruises. Grasping the shovel firmly in his left hand, he began to run, slipping and sliding down the driveway. With the force of that landing, they would be lucky if Simon hadn't joined the ranks of the injured.

"Simon!"

Reaching the foot of the driveway, Jim continued toward Simon and the car. So far he had not seen any movement inside the wrecked vehicle. Reaching the pile of debris, he pulled himself across to the ditch. He dragged himself over the worst of the obstacles and opened the driver's side door. Simon grunted in pain and pulled himself out.

"I'm okay, Jim. Calm down before you have a coronary."

"Are you sure? That was a hard jolt you took! Did you hit your head?" Jim grabbed Simon's arm, helping him climb across the debris and back to the road.

Simon shrugged him off in disgust. "No, I'm fine. Save your concern for Sandburg. I'm just disgusted that I wrecked my car. I bumped my head a little bit, but just enough to give myself a headache. Nothing serious."

"Sandburg!" Jim dropped the shovel suddenly and headed back toward the house at a dead run. Simon turned and followed him at a slightly slower pace, knowing something had just happened.

Jim reached the door and dashed in, immediately heading for the sofa where he could hear his partner retching violently. His first priority was making sure that Blair had a clear airway and hopefully had regained consciousness. He could hear Simon running water in the kitchen sink, probably preparing something to clean up the mess. Jim reached down and grabbed his partner, dialing his sense of smell down as low as possible. He grasped Blair gently in his arms, supporting his head so that he would be sure to have a clear airway.

Blair's eyes rolled and then struggled to focus on his partner's face. "Sorry, J'm," he choked. "'S d'sgusting."

"Don't worry about it, Chief. You just relax and keep breathing, okay?" Jim rubbed his hand soothingly over his guide's back. "You're going to be fine." He looked up, blue eyes narrowed in concern, as Simon approached with a damp cloth and some ice chips. "Thanks, Simon!" Taking the items with his free hand, Jim returned his attention to his sick guide.

Simon watched for a moment as Jim gently wiped his partner's face with the cloth , then silently turned away and left the pair alone.

"J'm?" Blair struggled again to look at Jim, his eyes nearly crossing in his effort to focus on the Sentinel.

"What is it, Buddy?"

"J'm, 'm I sick? Wha's wrong w'th me?"

"No, you're not sick. Do you remember the avalanche?"

Blair's eyes widened. "Av'lansh! J'm! Gotta help J'm!" He struggled weakly against his partner's arms, evidently in an effort to help Jim.

"Blair, calm down! You did help me. I'm fine." Jim continued to rub Blair's back soothingly. "Look at me! I'm right here, and I'm fine. You saved me, Blair. Now just lie still so we can help you. It's my turn to take care of you, all right?"

Blair suddenly managed to focus on the bigger man. "Oh. 'Kay, J'm. Good. Gonna sl'p now. Tired." He closed his eyes and went limp.

"Blair? Chief?" Jim held the younger man close, trying to rouse him from the stupor into which he had fallen. "Come on, Chief. Wake up!"

Simon stepped back into the room. "Sandburg!" he bellowed in his best captain's voice.

Jim concentrated on his partner's vitals. "He's really out this time, Simon." He carefully positioned Blair back on the sofa, turning the younger man's head to the side to ensure he wouldn't choke if he began to vomit again.

Standing up, Ellison followed Simon into the kitchen. "What do we do now? He's in real bad shape. We have _got_ to do something!"

"I don't know." Simon's response was subdued. He rubbed the lump on his head, peering suspiciously at Jim. "How are _you_ doing? How are those legs? Are you having a lot of pain? Do you need to take anything for it? We have some Tylenol in the First Aid kit if you need it."

Ellison glanced sharply at him. "I'm fine. You look like you could use it more than I could. How's the head?"

"Sore. How do you think?" Simon glared irritably at Jim. Then he sighed, shoulders drooping. "We make quite a team, don't we -- the three of us? I guess we should have known better than to try to take a vacation together. It just never seems to go right."

"But we needed this time away. Do you know how long it's been since I was able to just relax and enjoy myself? And I haven't seen Sandburg that happy in a long time. Dealing with the last couple of cases really had him down." Ellison glanced back at his partner.

"Sometimes I feel like since he hooked up with me that all of the happiness just got sucked out of him. He's so much more...." Jim floundered for the word ".....more _subdued_. It was really great to see him having such a good time this week.."

"Yeah." Simon sighed. "I know what you mean."

"But now we need to find a way out of this. We're all going to make it. We just need to figure out a plan of attack to get out of here."

**_I hope to have chapter 7 up by tonight. Please review. Thanks for reading!_**


	7. Chapter 7

**_Here's chapter 7. _**

im stood in front of the picture window, silently watching the colors explode across the snow as the sun began to set. He heard soft footsteps behind him, so he was prepared when Simon spoke.

"It's beautiful, isn't it? I never get tired of seeing it."

"Yeah. It's Blair's favorite time of day." Jim clenched his fists. "Simon, we have got to figure something out here. But to be honest, my head hurts and the bruises on my legs are throbbing. It's hard to think of anything when I'm trying to handle the pain dials without Blair."

"Is there anything I can do?" Simon rested a hand lightly on Jim's shoulder.

"No." Jim closed his eyes. "No, I need to concentrate on him right now. Any problems I have will just have to wait." He took one more look at the shimmering reds and golds of the sunset splashed across the sparkling snow, then turned and headed back for the couch and his partner.

*****

"J'm?" Ellison jerked upright at the mumbled name. He had been dozing in an armchair beside Blair's couch.

"Yeah, I'm here. How ya doing, Chief?"

Blair squinted, making an obvious effort to focus on his partner. Ignoring Jim's question, he posed his own. "You okay?" He gave up on focusing and closed his eyes.

"Yeah, I'm going to be just fine." Jim squeezed Blair's good shoulder.

"Lyin'."

Simon, sitting in a chair on the other side of the room, attempted unsuccessfully to suppress a snort of laughter. Jim scowled at him, then looked back at Blair.

"Hey, don't worry about me. I just have a little bit of a headache and some bruises. I told you, I'll be fine."

"Dial down."

Jim was a bit concerned to see that Blair was having this entire conversation with his eyes closed. "I tried. The dials aren't working too well right now."

He was gratified to see Blair's eyes fly open again. The younger man glanced across at Jim, trying once more to focus on his partner. "Wha's wrong?"

Jim was torn between keeping his partner calm and keeping his partner awake. Maybe helping Jim would give Blair something to focus on...something to buy them some time.

"I don't know. I keep trying to dial it down, and I just can't seem to do it."

"C'mere."

Jim pushed himself to his feet, suppressing a moan as the pressure on his legs caused a spike in the pain. Simon was immediately at his side, helping him to move the armchair closer to Blair. As soon as the chair was up against the side of the sofa, Jim sat back down. "Okay, I'm here. Now what?"

"G've me y'r hand." Blair held out a shaky hand toward his partner.

Jim studied Blair carefully. He actually seemed more alert now than he had since the avalanche. Ellison obediently held out his hand. He wasn't sure where Blair was going with this, but the younger man apparently had a plan.

Blair grasped Jim's hand, turning it palm down, and pulled it down onto his own chest. "Focus."

Suddenly Jim understood. Blair wanted him to focus on another sense in order to be able to control the dials. Closing his eyes, he focused both his sense of touch and his sense of hearing on Blair's heartbeat. Once he had both senses firmly centered on his partner's vital signs, he tentatively tried to dial down the pain again. Amazingly, this time it worked.

"Hey, Chief, that's great! It worked!" Jim began to remove his hand from Blair's chest, but he suddenly realized that his partner seemed calmer and more focused with the contact between the two men. He returned his hand to its former position over Blair's heart. "But I think I might just need to stay here for a while, if that's okay with you?"

Blair grunted assent, one corner of his mouth turning up in a semblance of a smile. Then he relaxed, eyes closing again. Jim quickly checked his friend's vitals, but Blair appeared no worse.

"Is he all right?" Simon hovered anxiously at Jim's shoulder.

"I think he's sleeping. His vitals seem okay." Jim looked up at Simon. "Even when he's so injured that he's not really alert, he still works his magic. It's amazing how much that helped."

Simon grinned ruefully. "Another one of those Sentinel things that I don't want to know about, huh?"

Jim grinned back. "Yes, Sir, I guess it is." Then he turned serious. "I just wish we could get help up here."

Simon's smile disappeared abruptly. "Yeah. I know what you mean. I ... wait a minute. Jim, I may have another idea!" He straightened quickly. "We didn't try my police radio. It couldn't hurt, right? Maybe there's something close enough that I can get through. You stay right where you are. I'll go check it out."

Jim nodded, relaxing in the armchair, one hand still on Blair's chest. He closed his eyes, concentrating on Blair's heartbeat. At least it was still strong, still fairly even. In fact, if he really listened, it seemed to get louder... until it drowned out all of the other sounds in the room....

"Jim! Jim! Can you hear me?" Simon's frantic voice brought him back. "Jim, come on. Don't do this now. Sandburg needs you!"

Jim took a deep breath and opened his eyes slowly. "Simon? What...? Did I zone?"

"You scared me there, Jim. You were out for at least fifteen minutes before I could get you back. And I have no idea how long you were out before I came back inside. Are you okay?"

Jim scrubbed his free hand through his hair. "How long were you gone? Did it work?"

Simon sat down on the floor with a thump, unzipping his coat. Jim belatedly noticed that Simon was still dressed for the outdoors in his heavy coat and one glove. He had apparently taken the other one off while trying to break the zone.

"I don't know how long I was gone... maybe half an hour. And no, it didn't work. I'm sorry, Jim. It looks like we're on our own until someone discovers we're gone."

"Yeah. When's that likely to happen? Nobody will miss Blair and me until we don't show up for work on Monday morning."

"Well, I did have a little bit sooner than that in mind. I found this in the back seat." Simon held up a notebook. "It's Daryl's. And if I'm not mistaken, this is the report he was telling me about that's due Monday. My best guess is that he'll be trying to get it back at least by tomorrow. And I told him before we left that I would be home by tomorrow night at six at the latest. When we don't show up, he'll be worried. I hope that's enough."

"So all we have to do is hold out for another...." Jim looked at his watch. "another fourteen hours? Do you think Blair'll last that long?" He looked down at his sleeping partner mournfully.

"He'll have to," Simon said simply. "We don't have a choice. I think we should take turns sleeping, so one of us is watching him all the time. We should wake him every couple of hours and pray he's strong enough to make it."

Jim's shoulders slumped. "Yeah, I guess you're right. We don't have a choice. Well, I'll take the first watch."

"No, you won't. You're almost out on your feet. You need the rest as badly as he does. You stay where you are and sleep. I'll keep an eye on him for a while." Simon used his sternest captain's voice.

"Okay."

"What -- no argument?" Simon was stunned.

"Not this time, Simon. I'm pretty comfortable where I am, and I really need some sleep. Just wake me in a few hours, all right, Sir?" Jim closed his eyes, almost instantly asleep.

Simon shook his head, unable to control a brief smile. "Sure, Jim. In the meantime I'll just keep an eye on Blair.....keep an eye on *both* of you." He fiddled with the fire for a few minutes, then settled back in his chair with a magazine, preparing for his lonely vigil.

**_Chapter 8 coming soon to a computer screen near you! Thanks for reading and for the great reviews!_**


	8. Chapter 8

**_Sorry chapter 8 is a little shorter than the others, but that's just the way the plot breaks worked out! We are winding down here. Only 2 more chapters after this. Thanks as always for the reviews! You make my day. _**

"Okay, Dad, where are you?" Daryl dropped the telephone handset into the cradle.

Joan looked up from the news broadcast she was watching. "Still no answer, honey? I'm sure they just ran behind. He'll probably be calling any minute."

"Yeah, I guess so. It's just that he said he'd be home an hour ago. He's usually right on time. Detective Ellison is too." Daryl sat down hard in an armchair near his mother. Then suddenly his face lit up. "Wait, I didn't try his cell phone! I can find out how close he is to Cascade."

"Good idea, sweetie." Joan smiled at her son. Then suddenly her attention was caught by the news broadcast she was watching. The smile disappeared as she followed the story currently being aired.

Daryl picked up the handset and dialed again, this time punching in his father's cell phone number. He waited for it to ring, but after a moment of silence, a recorded voice began its spiel. "I'm sorry; the cellular customer you are trying to reach is either out of range or is turned off...." Daryl hung up in disgust.

"He doesn't have his phone on. I got that recorded message. You know the one about being out of range or having the cell phone turned off? Well, he can't be out of range, so he must have it turned off."

"Actually, Daryl, honey, I think it's possible that he might be out of range. Look at this story on the news." Joan flipped through the channels until she found another station that was covering the story that had caught her attention. She turned up the volume and pulled Daryl down beside her on the couch.

A solemn reporter with her short hair covered with a ski cap stood in front of what must have once been a ski lodge. Now it was a mass of boulders, snow, and branches intermingled with the battered building. Windows had been broken, and there were scrapes and gaping holes in the walls.

"We bring you these pictures from one of the lodges at Crystal Mountain resort. This is the damage from an avalanche that happened here last night. It took several hours for the resort to get word to outside authorities. Apparently it was one in a string of avalanches that has swept through this area in the past twenty-four hours. Fortunately, the only damage here was to the structures themselves. No injuries have been reported. John, back to you."

Joan turned the sound lower and looked at her son, who was staring at the screen in shock. "Isn't that near where your father was going?"

Daryl nodded mutely, still staring at the screen. "They weren't close enough to any of the resorts to be able to get word to anyone if they were caught in an avalanche. What do we do?"

*****

"Jim?"

Jim lifted his head slowly, looking up at Simon. "He's still here. Simon, I don't know how he's doing it, but he's still holding on." He looked back down at his partner.

Blair was lying very still, eyes closed in a pale sweaty face. Bruises had darkened on his face around his eyes and around the long gash on the right side of his face. Jim had used two butterfly bandages from the first aid kit to hold the gash closed, but Blair had really needed stitches. Jim hoped he'd have the chance to get them.

All through the night Jim and Simon had taken turns looking after the unconscious observer, and when morning had arrived he was still breathing. Then had come the long day. He had woken briefly twice, but the words he had mumbled had made no sense. Jim was concerned now that even if Blair survived there would be brain damage.

Simon had appointed himself Jim's official keeper, and even though he had refused to leave Blair's side, Simon had kept him fed and watered, so to speak. Jim looked back at Simon now. He saw the look of concern and knew that it was just as much for him as it was for Blair.

"I don't know what I'd do without him, sir." He sighed and brushed his fingers through the tangled curls on the pillow. "He grounds me. Without him......well, I just don't want to think about it. And you know how much he means to me as a friend."

Simon nodded, resting his hand on Jim's shoulder. "I know. I care about him, too. Jim, he's made it this far. I think he'll pull through." He looked at his watch. "It's 7:30. Daryl's probably realized we didn't come home by now. Maybe he'll realize that something is wrong."

"I hope so. I don't know how much longer we can wait!"

Suddenly Blair stirred, tossing his head restlessly on the pillow. Jim brushed his hand soothingly across his partner's hair. Blair grew more agitated.

"Come on, Chief. Calm down. It's okay." Jim murmured the words over and over, hoping to calm his friend.

Instead of calming, Blair grew more and more restless, twisting and turning on the sofa. He grunted as he hit the back of the sofa with his sore arm.

"What's he doing?" Simon watched in concern.

"I think it's the head injury. Sometimes they cause the injured party to become combative. I think that's what's happening. The pressure must be building in there. His brain is probably swelling from the concussion or fracture. He needs help _now_!"

"I know, but I don't know what else to try!" Simon's frustration was obvious. "I don't know how we can help him. There's nothing we can do until they find us. And they... Jim?"

Jim had frozen in his seat, head cocked to the side. He thought he had heard something. Cautiously extending his hearing, he turned to Simon with a wide smile.

"I hear rotor blades, Simon! There's a helicopter coming!"

"Thank God!" Simon grinned in relief and clapped Jim on the back. "Daryl came through for us! He must have missed us right away. Let's go let them know where we are."

As he stood stiffly, Jim looked at him suspiciously. "Your head and neck still hurt, Sir?"

"It's not too bad. Nothing a little sleep won't cure." Simon rubbed the back of his neck with a shaky hand. "I'd better go let them know there's someone in here. You stay with Sandburg."

Jim studied him carefully for a moment, then nodded, making a mental note to be sure the rescue personnel checked Simon over carefully. That blow to the head could be worse than it first had appeared.

"I don't think I'll be walking anywhere for a while, Simon. But you don't need to go out either. I think they'll probably be able to tell we're here by the smoke coming out of the chimney."

"Funny, Ellison. I just need to feel like I helped in the rescue, okay? So let me pretend." Simon clapped Jim on the shoulder as he walked by. "Keep an eye on your partner."

Jim turned his attention back to Blair, who was still thrashing restlessly on the sofa. "Calm down, Buddy. Help's on the way. You're going to be just fine."

When the injured man showed no response to this, Jim pushed himself painfully to his feet and dropped down heavily onto the edge of the sofa. Leaning forward, he grasped his partner with both arms and attempted to hold him still. Blair grunted again, his eyes flickering open briefly, offering a glimpse of unfocused rolling blue eyes, before closing again.

"Come on, Blair. Don't give up now. The Cavalry's here. Keep fighting!"

**_Chapter 9 will be up tonight. Thanks so much for reading. Reviews appreciated._**


	9. Chapter 9

**_Okay, here's chapter 9. Thanks again for the great reviews. You are awesome! I guess I should warn you that this chapter does contain some spoilers for the second seaon episode Survival. If that's not an issue for you, read away!_**

Simon pulled the zipper on his coat all the way to his chin, wrapping his arms around himself and keeping his feet moving to stay warm. The helicopter had set down in the road just below the snow drift that had thwarted his attempts at rescue. The side door of the helicopter slid open, and two rescue workers dressed in heavy jump suits climbed out, immediately heading for the wrecked car in that peculiar hunched over run indigenous to people attempting to avoid rotor blades.

"Hey, we're up here!" Simon limped a few steps toward the bottom of the driveway, waving one arm in the air. "There's nobody in the car. We're up here!"

Both of the rescue workers looked up at his shout. One of them waved back "Are you okay? We got a call that there might be some people caught in an avalanche up here. I'm looking for Simon Banks."

"You found him!" Simon sighed in relief. "There are three of us and we're all alive. But my two friends are both hurt pretty bad. One of them has a head injury."

"Okay!" The shout was accompanied by another wave, then both men ran back to the helicopter. Within moments they were heading up the driveway at a run, both carrying emergency equipment.

"Am I glad to see _you_!" Simon led the way back into the cabin, holding the door for the heavily laden men. "We didn't know how to get in contact with anyone out here, and... well... you see the result of my attempt to drive out for help."

"How badly are you injured?" The two men followed him into the kitchen, stomping snow encrusted boots on the floor.

"Don't worry about me right now." Simon gestured helplessly toward the living area. "Blair Sandburg... he's the one who needs you the worst. He's in there."

"Simon, get them in here now!" Ellison's sharp voice brought panic to the captain's heart. Blair must be worse.

*****

Jim looked up in relief as the three men entered the living area. Blair was going downhill rapidly. He was still thrashing on the sofa, despite Jim's best efforts at calming him and keeping him still.

A tall thin man in a red Search and Rescue jacket came around the corner from the kitchen, arms laden with emergency equipment and medical supplies. His faded green eyes seemed to take in the situation at once, and he quickened his pace, dropping to his knees at Jim's side. His partner, a younger man with a shock of black hair atop a face that was of obvious Asian descent, followed close behind him.

Jim released his hold on Blair and struggled to move back to his chair. "His name's Blair Sandburg, he's thirty years old, he has no allergies, he has a head injury of some kind, and he's been in and out since the accident, which happened about twenty-eight hours ago. He's been more out of it than lucid and he's been going downhill fast. The agitation just started about thirty minutes ago. He also dislocated his right shoulder."

The older man glanced briefly at Jim. "I'm Peter and this is Sam. We're going to take good care of Blair."

Simon stepped up to Jim's chair and sat down on the arm, resting a comforting hand on Jim's arm. The two men watched tensely as Peter and Sam worked to stabilize their patient. They made quite an efficient team, and within moments, they had immobilized Blair's shoulder and were getting him ready for transport.

Jim looked up as two more Search and Rescue team members came in the front door, both carrying portable backboards and more equipment.

"This is Sara and Jonathan. They're going to take a look at the two of you while we finish getting Blair ready to airlift. We need to see how you are doing also." Peter looked quickly at the two men, running a shrewd eye over them. "Sara, start with him." He pointed to Jim.

The woman nodded and crossed the room to kneel in front of Jim. After so many hours of inactivity and hopelessness, the Sentinel was having trouble keeping up with all of the commotion. The pain in his legs had worsened, and he realized suddenly that he had lost control of the pain dials again.

"Hi, I'm Sara. What's your name?"

He looked down at the young woman slowly. "Jim... Jim Ellison." He turned his gaze back at his partner, who had now been strapped to one of the backboards.

Blair's heart rate had spiked, and he was struggling to regain consciousness, clearly agitated. Jim's heart thumped in sympathy as he realized what kind of memories this would be bringing back. The last time he had been rescued from an adventure in the woods he had been flown from the scene by a helicopter team much like this one... dangling from a cable beneath the helicopter.

"It's okay, Chief." Jim turned concerned eyes on his rescuers. "He's really afraid of heights. The last time he was rescued like this they flew him out hanging below a helicopter."

Sara busied herself with checking Jim's vitals and searching for injuries. "That poor man! Didn't the team member who went up with him try to keep him calm?"

Jim looked at her blankly, obediently holding his arm still while she checked his blood pressure. "What team member? He was by himself. They just put him in a basket and flew him out that way."

He cringed as he remembered Blair's terrified shouts for help and his own amusement. It hadn't been until later that he had realized how frightened his friend had actually been. It had taken Blair quite a while before the nightmares had stopped after that fiasco.

Sara looked at Jim in horror. "They sent him up by himself? No wonder he was terrified! We would _never_ do that to one of our patients. Any time we have to airlift someone, one of us is always riding with them on top of the basket. What if he had struggled and knocked the basket sideways or even loose? That's way too dangerous! No, one of us will be with him when they take him up. With you, too!"

Jim watched as Sara and her coworkers shared a look of shock. His own heart settled back into a normal rhythm as Blair seemed to calm slightly. Jim began to suspect that even with his serious injuries, his partner was at least marginally aware of the conversation going on around him.

"Are you listening, Chief? You can relax now. You're going to be fine. These people are going to help us now. Before you know it you'll be curled up in a nice warm hospital bed, flirting with a nurse... or two...."

Watching closely, he caught the slight motion as Blair's mouth curved in a slight smile. Yup... he was definitely aware of what was going on. Jim continued a very uncharacteristic monologue, willing to do anything to help his partner through this crisis. He watched as Peter and Sam covered Blair with a blanket and lifted the backboard carefully.

His attention was diverted momentarily as Sara called his name. He reluctantly forced himself to look up at her.

"Jim, they're going to put Blair into the basket and take him up into the helicopter now. And then you're next." She seemed to somehow know that he was about to protest, so she smiled and squeezed his arm. "We don't want you walking around. We need to get some X-rays on your legs, and we don't want you moving around too much until we can check out your spine, too. From what you've said, it sounds like you took quite a fall."

"My spine is fine." He struggled to control his frustration. He needed to be with Blair. "I need to get out there."

Sara held his eyes for a moment, then looked over at Jonathan. "Okay, let's get him ready to move. He can at least be outside when his partner goes up."

"Thank you." Jim relaxed and prepared to cooperate with whatever they wanted him to do so that he could get outside sooner.

"Don't be ornery, Jim. Sandburg is going to be okay. I don't think he's really too aware of what's going on right now anyway." Simon knelt down beside the chair, looking up at Jim sternly.

"He's aware, Simon." Jim raised his eyebrows significantly and surreptitiously tapped a finger against his ear.

"Oh." He saw the moment that Simon realized what he was saying. "Well, he's going to be fine. You just take it easy, and that's an order."

Jim glared at his boss, and his eyes narrowed. "Has anyone looked at Simon's head? He took a pretty sharp hit in that car accident. He's been moving pretty stiffly."

"As soon as we have you ready to go out we'll take a look." Sara moved back into Jim's line of sight. "Okay, Jim. We're going to move you onto the backboard, and I want you to just relax and let us do all of the work. I know you don't feel badly, but we don't want to take any chances with your spinal column. That's pretty serious."

"Fine, let's just get out there." Jim forced himself to stay relaxed as the paramedics carefully lifted him and positioned him on the backboard, fastening the straps across his body to keep him still.

"Okay, Jim. Here we go."

Jim closed his eyes and extended his hearing, searching for any sign of Blair. He focused on his partner's heartbeat and relaxed. Blair was still on the ground, but his heart was not beating quite as fast as it had been earlier, indicating that he was finally calming.

Jim had to struggle to hold on to Blair's heartbeat as the whirring chop of the helicopter's blades centered overhead. Snow kicked up by the rotors stung his face, neck, and hands--the only parts not covered with a blanket. He opened his eyes, squinting into the wind.

The chopper was directly overhead, and a sturdy metal basket slowly wended its way to the ground. As soon as it had touched the pavement, Peter and Sam placed Blair and his backboard securely inside and fastened the straps holding him safely. Peter carefully tucked an IV bag underneath the blanket and climbed onto the basket, straddling his patient.

"Okay, take 'em up!" Sam had to shout into his portable radio to be heard over the helicopter, and he waved his arm to be sure the pilot had his attention.

As the winch began to tighten on the helicopter and the basket left the ground, Blair's heart began to race once more. Jim watched helplessly, clenching his jaw. The last thing his partner needed right now was a repeat of the last terrifying ride. He hoped that Sara and her crew kept their word about keeping their patient calm.

**_Only one chapter to go! I should have it posted tomorrow morning. Thanks for sticking with me on this! You've made it fun. And as always, reviews are welcome!_**


	10. Chapter 10

**_A/N: I am including the last part of chapter 9 here because it was kind of an awkward place to stop. I know you could always go back to look at the end of chapter 9 on your own, but you shouldn't have to! So here we go. Oh, and I should probably mention that there are still spoilers for Survival here. And thanks again for the reviews. You really make my day!_**

**_From chapter 9:_**

_The chopper was directly overhead, and a sturdy metal basket slowly wended its way to the ground. As soon as it had touched the pavement, Peter and Sam placed Blair and his backboard securely inside and fastened the straps holding him safely. Peter carefully tucked an IV bag underneath the blanket and climbed onto the basket, straddling his patient._

_"Okay, take 'em up!" Sam had to shout into his portable radio to be heard over the helicopter, and he waved his arm to be sure the pilot had his attention._

_As the winch began to tighten on the helicopter and the basket left the ground, Blair's heart began to race once more. Jim watched helplessly, clenching his jaw. The last thing his partner needed right now was a repeat of the last terrifying ride. He hoped that Sara and her crew kept their word about keeping their patient calm._

_**And now the conclusion...**_

Peter immediately alleviated his concerns. Jim listened as the Search-and-Rescue man began to speak.

"Okay, Blair. Everything is okay. We're just going on a little ride and then we'll be in a helicopter in just a minute. You're doing great. Just hang in there. Try to stay calm. See, we're almost there."

Jim relaxed as Blair's heartbeat slowed again. Peter was keeping his partner calm in the face of a terrifying situation. He watched as the basket was pulled into the helicopter. Moments later it made the return trip back to the ground.

"Okay, Jim. We're up." Sara stepped forward as Sam and Jonathan picked him up and strapped him into the basket. "Are you ready?"

Jim nodded tersely, blushing faintly as Sara straddled the basket and leaned over him. "Let's do it."

Sara nodded, then waved at the helicopter. Sam spoke into his radio, and the basket lurched to the side as it began to lift off the ground. Jim kept his eyes locked on Sara's face as they began the trip up to the helicopter. As the crosswinds caused the basket to rock and sway, he realized for the first time the extent of the terror Blair had gone through.

Jim was an experienced Army ranger, and he had taken extensive training in paratrooping and climbing. But he had not been prepared for the helplessness he was experiencing strapped into the basket. If it were to fall, he would have no way to save himself. Blair had none of this training, and he had been alone during his first ride. Jim vowed that when this was all over and they had all recovered, he would make it up to his partner somehow.

He couldn't believe he and Simon had actually laughed at Blair's fears. That would never happen again. He would be willing to bet that Simon would agree with him once he had experienced the windy trip as well.

The ride up seemed to take an eternity, but he figured later it had probably only taken about two minutes. He drew in a deep breath when the basket bumped against the side of the chopper, and then two more Search-and-Rescue workers dragged him inside. Sara immediately unstrapped herself and got up.

"How's Blair doing?" Jim looked across at the basket containing his partner. He tried to still his heart long enough to listen to Blair's. It didn't seem to be running too fast, but he wasn't unconscious either. "Blair, how ya doin, Chief? We made it up here in one piece, huh?"

Sara rocked back on her heels and glanced between the two men. Then she looked back at Jim. "You two are real close, aren't you?"

"Yeah, we are. We're partners." Jim smiled ruefully. "He's more than that, though. He's my best friend."

Sara nodded sagely. "I know all about partners. Jonathan and I have been together for five years. He's pretty much my best friend, too... but don't tell my fiancé I said that!"

Jim found himself laughing along with her at this. "I promise... I won't say a word. Sounds like Simon's having a fun ride."

As the winch was pulling the last victim up, Simon's gruff voice could be heard above everything, muttering and cursing. Jim knew then that he had been correct. Simon would be sure to agree with him about making things up to Blair.

*****

"Hey, Jim. How are you feeling?"

Jim looked up to see Simon standing at the door, poking his head inside. He smiled wanly. "Hey, Simon. Come on in. How's your head?"

Simon smiled back. "They said I'll live. They're not even going to keep me for observation. I almost wish they would. Then I wouldn't have to go find a hotel for the night. It's obvious you two won't be going anywhere." He gestured at Jim, tucked into his hospital bed.

"I'm sorry, sir. I uh... feel so bad for you. If it would make you feel any better, you can have _my_ bed. I'll sacrifice and force myself to look for a hotel instead."

"Ha ha. I can see that you're feeling better." Simon dragged a chair up to the bed and sat down heavily. "So what's the verdict on your legs?"

"Like I thought--just bad bruises. But they did give me some heavy duty pain killers. So I _am_ feeling much better."

"Have you heard anything about Sandburg?"

"No. He's still in observation. I think they're waiting to see if the swelling is still getting worse. I keep asking for news, but all I get is 'let's wait and see'." Jim struggled to control his emotions. "He's come this far. I just hope we were in time. They say he could still die, and even if he pulls through, there could be brain damage. I don't know how we... I... would handle that. His mind is such a huge part of who he is. If he loses any of that..."

Simon leaned forward and patted Jim's arm. "Come on, Jim. Let's not borrow trouble. I know it's got to be hard not being with him. I'm sure they'll be coming soon with some news... some _good_ news."

"Yeah." Jim yawned in the middle of the word, leaning heavily against the pillows. "I think that pain medicine is really working now." He blinked dazedly, struggling to keep his eyes open.

"You go ahead and get some sleep. I'll be right here, and I promise to wake you up if there's any news."

"Okay." Jim yawned again. "Oh, yeah. Have you talked to Darryl?"

Simon chuckled. "Yes, I just talked to him for a few minutes. If he hadn't left his notebook in my car, I don't know when we'd have been missed. They're on their way up to get it. And see me, of course."

"Oh, of course." Jim smiled sleepily. "As long as you know where his priorities are. The notebook and _then_ you."

"Yeah, I hear you. Now go to sleep!" Simon leaned back in his chair, attempting to make himself comfortable.

Jim went to sleep.

*****

A familiar sound broke through the last vestiges of a deep sleep. He frowned, struggling to figure out what it was. Voices. That's what it was. People talking. Familiar people.

"So anyway, they said it shouldn't take too long for him to....." The voice trailed off suddenly. "Chief?"

He knew that voice. He thought hard for a moment, and then it came to him. Jim. That was Jim. Something bad had happened, and he had been worried about Jim. An avalanche. There had been an avalanche, and Jim had been in danger. He remembered being buried, and his head had hurt. Were they still in the cabin?

"What is it, Jim? Is he waking up?"

That one was Simon. That made sense. Simon had been with them. It didn't feel like the cabin. He had been on the sofa. He was in a bed now... a rather hard bed. The hospital then. That also made sense. He had vague memories of other voices and hands. And being pulled up into a helicopter.

"Yes, he is. Come on, Chief. I know you're in there. Can you open your eyes?"

Blair sighed. He could never refuse anything when Jim used that tone of voice. He must be really concerned. He made a supreme effort and finally managed to get his eyes open the slightest bit. For a second it seemed as if someone was shining a spotlight in his eyes. Before he could even protest, Jim did it for him.

"Sir, the lights!"

Instantly the blinding lights disappeared. He opened his eyes further and found the room bathed in shadows. Only a sliver of light appeared from the hallway at the half open door. Simon was standing beside the light switch just inside the door. He blinked, squinting, and looked to the other side.

Jim was sitting beside the bed in a wheelchair. Blair squinted again, trying to bring his partner into focus. "Jim?"

"Yeah, I'm right here. I know you've got a whopper of a headache, but you're going to be just fine."

Blair reached a hand up toward his throbbing head. He had barely gotten his hand off the bed when a sharp pain shot through his shoulder. He vaguely remembered hurting it when he fell. Dislocated, Jim had said. He switched arms and tried again, sighing with relief when his hand landed on his head.

"What is it, Blair?" Simon looked at him quizzically.

"I have hair." Blair smiled wearily, closing his eyes again.

Jim threw his head back and laughed. "Yes, you have hair. They didn't touch it, although it was touch and go there for a while. You were out for over two days. If the swelling hadn't gone down on its own, they were going to have to operate to relieve the pressure. Enjoy that hair. You almost lost it."

"Are you okay, Jim?" Blair's eyes flew back open.

"Yes, I'm fine, thanks to you." Jim fixed his partner with a stern gaze. "Don't ever do that again! You took ten years off my life when I realized what you'd done."

Blair grinned, beaming at his partner. "Okay, Jim. I promise... the next time we get caught in an avalanche and you zone, I'll just save myself and leave you standing there at your most vulnerable."

He frowned at Simon, who was still chuckling. "You're having altogether too much fun, Simon."

"Sorry, Sandburg." Simon attempted to control his laughter. "I was just trying to picture you without your hair. It's a scary thought!"

"Not half as scary as the thought of him without his brain!" For some reason Jim seemed to think this was uproariously funny.

Blair patiently waited until the storm of laughter ended. "Yeah. I love you guys too."

All three faces grew sober for a moment, and Blair thought he detected a glint of moisture in Jim's eyes. Then he moved restlessly against the pillow.

"So what does a guy have to do in here to get some room service? I never got my hot chocolate."

Jim leaned over and pressed the button on the edge of Blair's bed. After a moment of silence, the door opened, and a blonde nurse with big blue eyes and the face of a model walked in.

Blair immediately perked up. "Hi. How's it going? My name's Blair. I was just wondering..."

Jim rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I think he'll live to fight another day."

"You've got it all wrong, Jim." Simon also rolled his eyes. "Didn't you know? He's a lover, not a fighter!"

This time all three men joined in the laughter, and it went a long way toward healing them all.

_**Finis**_

**_So that's it! Thanks so much for staying with me all the way through. I hope you enjoyed the ride! Please review._**


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